Autoimmunity News and Research

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Autoimmune Disease is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.

New definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis, septic shock

Clifford S. Deutschman, MS, MD, vice chair of research in the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center and an investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , presented new definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis and septic shock at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress in Orlando, FL.

24 Feb 2016

Parvus' novel therapeutic approach employing nanomedicines published in Nature

Parvus Therapeutics today announced the publication in Nature of a seminal paper describing the discovery and applications of a novel therapeutic approach employing nanomedicines, referred to as "Navacims"TM, to reprogram white blood cells to become regulatory cells capable of blunting autoimmune responses and restoring the equilibrium of the immune system.

19 Feb 2016

New, personalized approach to detecting low back pain

Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new, personalized approach to diagnosing low back pain. The findings from a clinical study show that serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) vary in individuals with lumbar intervertebral disc disease and that biochemical profiling of circulating cytokines may assist in refining personalized diagnoses of disc diseases.

8 Jan 2016

Processed foods may increase likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases

In today's hustle and bustle world, processed foods are commonplace time-savers. But that convenience factor may come with a bigger price tag than previously known, says an international team of researchers.

31 Dec 2015

New AARDA report highlights key issues and trends at State of Autoimmunity National Summit

What are the known environmental factors that trigger autoimmune disease and what are the latest technologies being developed to measure an individual's exposure to such risks?

29 Dec 2015

WuXi forms strategic alliance with MedImmune to accelerate development of biologics portfolio in China

WuXi AppTec, a leading open-access R&D capability and technology platform company serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, announced today that it has formed a strategic alliance with MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca.

16 Dec 2015

Study: Brain cell death may trigger multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may be triggered by the death of brain cells that make myelin, the insulation around nerve fibers, according to research on a novel mouse model developed by scientists from the University of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine. The death of these cells initiates an autoimmune response against myelin, the main characteristic of the disease, which leads to MS-like symptoms in mice.

14 Dec 2015

Complix signs agreement with Selexis to advance production of autoimmune drug candidate CMX-02

Complix NV, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of transformative protein therapeutics, called Alphabodies, for the treatment of cancer and severe autoimmune diseases, announces that it is advancing the development of CMX-02, a potential treatment of severe autoimmune disease.

14 Dec 2015

NeuroQuest to start U.S. clinical validation trials of blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

NeuroQuest Development Center, Inc., today announced they have entered into a service agreement with the University of California, San Diego for collection and processing of blood samples for their U.S. clinical validation trials.

10 Dec 2015

Flagship launches Rubius to develop functionalized red blood cells for treatment of serious diseases

Flagship Ventures, a leading innovation and venture firm focused on healthcare and sustainability, announced it has launched Rubius Therapeutics, to develop functionalized red blood cells for the treatment of autoimmune conditions, metabolic diseases, cancer, and other serious diseases.

9 Dec 2015

JEDI T-cells provide unique technology to study, visualize immune responses and immunotherapies

When it comes to fending off disease and helping prevent people from falling ill, the body's immune system -- armed with T-cells that help eliminate cancer cells, virus-infected cells and more -- is second to none. But exactly how the immune system works remains, in many ways, a mystery, as there are numerous cell types whose functions and interactions with our immune systems have not been well understood.

5 Nov 2015

Study highlights importance of sex-specific differences in complex biological processes

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that male and female mice respond differently to inflammation at the cellular level. Specifically, in male mice the spleen acts as a source of white blood cells, while in females this is not the case. This discovery suggests that human studies are necessary to determine if current medical practices, which treat men and women generally the same, should be altered to reflect sex-specific differences.

3 Nov 2015

Small subtype of immune cells appears to prevent obesity

We tend to think of the immune system as guarding us against bacteria, viruses and assorted foreign invaders, but this system has some other surprising roles. Weizmann Institute researchers have now identified a small subtype of immune cells that appears to prevent metabolic syndrome: obesity, high blood pressure, and high levels of blood sugar and cholesterol.

3 Nov 2015

Researchers identify role of cGAS enzyme in autoimmune diseases

Activating an enzyme that sounds an alarm for the body's innate immune system causes two lethal autoimmune diseases in mice, while inhibiting the same enzyme rescues them, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

28 Oct 2015

Study shows how dietary fatty acids affect development and progression of multiple sclerosis

Dietary fatty acids affect the development and progression of autoimmune chronic-inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In a collaborative study between the Departments of Neurology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (St. Josef-Hospital) and the Friedrich Alexander Universtiy Erlangen, researchers now found that long-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of CNS reactive immune cells in the intestinal wall. On the contrary, short-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of regulatory cells in the immune system.

22 Oct 2015

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows that a single drop of blood in the brain is sufficient to activate an autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first demonstration that introduction of blood in the healthy brain is sufficient to cause peripheral immune cells to enter the brain, which then go on to cause brain damage.

12 Oct 2015

Scientists calculate precise measurements of heritability in nine pediatric-onset autoimmune diseases

Scientists have calculated more precise measurements of heritability--the influence of underlying genes--in nine autoimmune diseases that begin in childhood. The research may strengthen researchers' abilities to better predict a child's risk for associated autoimmune diseases.

9 Oct 2015

HIV cure research may shift from single-therapy development model to combination therapy trials

The next five years of HIV research should shift gears from the classic single-therapy development model to moving directly from in vitro studies to combination therapy trials, authors argue in a new paper published online today.

25 Sep 2015

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned.

29 Aug 2015

Janus collaborates with Roche to develop TLR inhibitor to address several autoimmune diseases

Janus Biotherapeutics today announced that they have entered into a collaboration with Roche for the development of a small molecule toll-like receptor (TLR) inhibitor with the potential to address several autoimmune diseases. TLRs are an important class of proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system.

20 Aug 2015